A website domain bought on a whim has sparked a thriving St. Petersburg startup based on an unlikely pairing: Award-winning California wine and high-quality, natural dog treats.
In 2013, a friend convinced Pinellas County natives Ryan and Lindsay Levy to purchase available web domain names on speculation. The couple, who lived in Chicago at the time and imagined opening a wine bar where pet owners could bring their dogs indoors to escape the cold, purchased wagsandwine.com.
The domain sat dormant for seven years, until their corporate careers took them to Northern California. Cooped indoors during strict COVID-19 pandemic-era lockdowns, the Levys began receiving steady shipments of local wines and treats for their beloved Pomeranian.
Ryan, emboldened by a client’s success with a pet subscription service, eventually suggested combining the products into one box. Lindsay, who lacked her husband’s entrepreneurial inclinations, initially thought it was the “dumbest idea I’ve heard.”
Ryan eventually won her over and, by April 2021, the couple officially launched Wags & Wine. Determined to succeed, the couple broke their lease in Oakland, relocated to wine country and embarked on a three-month sprint that included tastings at 86 different wineries.
Originally designed to highlight boutique wineries, the business quickly evolved. By 2023, the husband-and-wife duo decided to take total control of the winemaking process.
Now living in St. Petersburg, the Levys partnered with an Italian winemaker through an alternating proprietorship in Sonoma County. They purchased their own grapes, and Lindsay began crafting custom varietals that appealed to their now-refined palates for an in-house brand, “Hair of the Dog.”
Those include a rare Greco, which is made from ancient white wine grapes grown in Southern Italy. Lindsay believes they are one of only two people in Sonoma making the bold, mineral-driven variety.
“We just got a double gold medal for it in the Orange County Wine Society competition,” Lindsay said of the Greco. “For people in their 30s, who don’t have a background in wine or grandparents who started a vineyard decades ago, to get a double gold is pretty cool.”
Wags & Wine prioritizes quality control. Astonished to learn that winemakers can legally use up to 90 different additives, including animal-derived ingredients, the Levys committed to producing clean, vegan-friendly wines.
They apply those same strict standards to the pet side of the box, sourcing only limited- or single-ingredient dog treats from independent producers. “I used to, shockingly, give my Pomeranian like Pup-Peroni (treats) when I was in my 20s,” Lindsay said.
“It’s like feeding your dog McDonald’s every day.”
Subscribers can purchase a curated “Signature Box,” which includes their choice of a red and white wine and four of five dog products, including treats, toys and chews. Wags & Wine also offers a “Build A Box” option that allows customers to choose from dozens of items.
“Even with the dog products, we try to seek out those small entrepreneurs or independent producers, so it’s not mass-produced,” Ryan said. “We also give back a portion of our profits to dog rescues.”
Lindsay left the corporate world in December 2024 to focus on daily operations. Ryan is a managing partner at the Cruit Group, a boutique recruiting firm.
However, he also flies to California monthly for high-intensity, extended weekends of “manual labor” – packing and shipping boxes for Wags & Wine. Despite managing a business that spans two coasts, the founders have completely bootstrapped the startup.
Ryan reiterated the couple’s commitment to quality control. He also noted that, “as an entrepreneur for so long, I enjoy having a hand in everything.”
“The business is at the point now where he has to tape his fingers up because they’re bleeding at the end,” Lindsay said of the 16-hour days.
The couple also spends a month in Northern California twice annually to make wine and attend events. They recently started wholesaling their Bay to Bay Rosé, which features images of the Sunshine Skyway and Golden Gate Bridge.
“I’m hoping to start distributing it here more in Tampa Bay, because it’s good branding,” Ryan said. “The biggest issue with a small producer is distribution.”
A restaurant in Dunedin is currently the sole local carrier of Bay to Bay. “We’ve gone to several bars in St. Pete, but if we’re not able to get in with their distributor, there’s not really anything they can do.”
The nation’s only wine and pet subscription service also carries products for cats. Ryan still hopes to eventually open a dog-friendly wine bar that serves the startup’s products.
Lindsay admits that people initially thought their startup was “weird,” but later realized it “makes a lot of sense.” Ryan said they “really started figuring out” their business model about two years ago, and would now consider a partner who could help with distribution.
For now, Lindsay said there is “nothing like” receiving unboxing videos from customers. Dogs nationwide have learned to recognize the brand’s distinct white box with black lettering, she said, and “get really excited.”
“That’s why we do it,” Lindsay concluded.
